Introduction
On November 5, the second day of the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12), hosted by UN-Habitat and the Government of Egypt, a variety of activities took place, including thematic forums, dialogues, roundtable meetings, side events, special sessions, training, city cinema, city library, and city voices. The Chinese Urban Planning Society (CUPS) co-organized three events, providing a comprehensive platform for attendees to understand China from multiple perspectives.
Building a Home, Not Just a House
Multinational Planning Experts Discuss Urban Housing Challenges
On November 5, 2024, at 5:00 PM local time in Egypt, the side event "Rational Allocation of Housing Through Cooperation" organized by the Chinese Urban Planning Society (CUPS), the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), and the CAST UN Consultative Committee on Sustainable City, Community and Heritage (CCSC), was successfully held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center. The event focused on three main topics: cooperation models and mechanisms among governments, social organizations, and private sectors; protecting the housing rights of vulnerable groups and migrants; and the role of urban planning in promoting and improving housing conditions. The aim was to gather experts and scholars from the global housing sector to discuss cooperative models and mechanisms to address urban housing challenges.
Networking Event: "Collaborative Cooperation for Rational Allocation of Housing"
The event was chaired by Shi Nan, Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Vice President of CUPS. Keynote speakers included:
·Wu Jiang, Rotating President of the CAST UN Consultative Committee on Sustainable City Community and Heritage, and former Vice President of Tongji University
·Pietro Elisei, Immediate Past President of International Society of City and Regional Planners
·Darinka Golubovic-Matic, Vice President of International Society of City and Regional Planners
·Khalid Adli, Professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University
·Didier Vancutsem, Vice President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe
Keynote speakers
Wu Jiang
Wu Jiang introduced the contributions of Shanghai's three major projects-old district renovation, old housing renovation, and "urban villages" renovation-to improving housing distribution using Shanghai as an example. He began by outlining the history of housing development and the challenges of upgrading housing in Shanghai, showcasing changes in the proportion of housing types and the changes in housing area over the past two decades. He emphasized the goals of the "Two Old and One Village" policy (refers to the transformation of old areas, complete sets of old housing and ‘urban villages’,) including improving living conditions for residents, enhancing the quality and functionality of the city, and promoting integrated urban-rural development. Wu Jiang discussed specific renovation cases such as Baoxingli, Pengpu New Village, Fangua Lane, and Panlong Village, exploring the challenges in value recognition, resident needs, planning organization, and implementation management during project execution, and stressed the importance of collaboration in rational housing distribution.
Pietro Elisei
Pietro Elisei presented a report titled "Geographical Characteristics of European Housing Policies," focusing on regional differences in European housing policies, housing cost burden calculations, and whether there are models that can ensure greater social inclusion and environmental sustainability. He noted that rising housing prices and rents can become a burden, particularly in countries like Greece and Denmark, where the housing cost burden rate is higher, while it is lower in Slovakia and Croatia. He proposed several strategies to increase housing affordability, including shared ownership, land trusts, interest-free loans, zoning reforms for housing types, alternative housing, tax credits and subsidies, density bonuses, public-private partnerships, and zoning reforms for mixed-use developments. At the end of his report, Elisei emphasized that inclusive housing policies must consider the dynamics of social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors to create comfortable housing in different eras.
Darinka Golubovic-Matic
Darinka Golubovic-Matic shared the current situation of Roma settlements in Serbia, with the theme "Rational Housing Distribution through Collaboration." She first introduced the challenges faced by Roma people in Serbia, including poverty eradication, security, food provision, healthy living, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, sustainable energy, economic growth and employment, reducing inequality, and increasing inclusivity and sustainability. She then detailed the Urban Thinkers Campus 9.0 project aimed at improving the overall living environment for Roma people through a series of planning works and GIS technology.
Khalid Adli
Khalid Adli discussed how to create inclusive and impactful communities. He emphasized that housing is not just a basic need but also a foundation for shaping happy lives and stable communities, advocating for people-centered housing design. The report proposed eight core principles for inclusive housing construction, including community center design, affordability, cultural responsiveness, accessibility, safety, diversity, sustainability, and community participation. It also addressed the challenges of inclusive housing construction, such as financial constraints, community resistance, regulatory barriers, restrictive zoning, and cultural integration. To solve these issues, he proposed measures such as inclusive zoning, tax incentives, subsidy expansion, investment in transportation links, and enhanced tenant protection. Khalid Adli concluded by emphasizing that housing is more than just buildings; it is about people and families. Each housing project has the potential to reshape family life, and thoughtful planning and design are key to creating prosperous and sustainable cities.
Didier Vancutsem
Didier Vancutsem introduced Germany's socially just land use policy. He first provided an overview of Germany and Munich, and then discussed the housing market status in Germany in 2024, noting that due to expensive real estate prices, most Germans are choosing to rent rather than buy, which has led to a decrease in housing vacancy rates but also increased competition and rising rental prices in urban areas. To address this, the Munich municipal government has implemented a "socially just land use policy" through developing the housing rental market, establishing cooperative housing companies, and housing rental cooperatives to ensure the orderly development of the housing market. Finally, he summarized the lessons learned from Munich's socially just land use policy, emphasizing that cities can benefit all citizens through long-term policies and the use of public land.
Housing issues have become one of the key factors constraining urban sustainable development. However, the more fundamental issue is that the key to solving these problems lies not just in building houses but in creating homes on multiple dimensions for everyone. The successful hosting of this side event provided a platform for attendees to discuss and share successful cases and experiences in the rational distribution of housing resources, offering a reflective and solution-seeking platform for housing issues. It also provided a platform for experience exchange for urban managers, policymakers, urban planning experts, and scholars from around the world. The audience engaged in lively interactions with the speakers.
Keynote speakers
Empowering Park Cities
Multinational Experts Advocate for Nature-Based Solutions
On November 5, 2024, at 1:00 PM local time in Egypt, the side event " Empowering Park Cities--Harnessing NbS, Parks, & Urban Forestry for Climate Intelligence and Socio-Economic Growth" was held in Hall 06 of the Multi-Function Hall at the 2nd Pavilion of the Egypt International Exhibition Center. The event was co-organized by the Sichuan Tianfu New Area, the Chinese Urban Planning Society, and Chengdu Design Consulting Group, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the S?o Paulo Municipal Government of Brazil, and UN-Habitat. The event aimed to utilize nature-based solutions to promote climate action and urban economic growth through parks and urban forests. It attracted over a hundred scholars and practitioners from around the world, including urban planners, environmental experts, and policymakers.
The conference venue
The event was chaired by Ren Jing from UN-Habitat, with Shi Nan, Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Vice President of CUPS, delivering the keynote report on the connotations of the park city index and its role in promoting urban sustainable development. Speakers included representatives from the FAO, the S?o Paulo Municipal Government of Brazil, the World Resources Institute (Africa), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Participants discussed topics related to cities and nature, human settlements and forests, the planning and construction of urban park systems, and environmental planning, offering positive suggestions for the concept and creation strategies of park cities. Experts emphasized the importance of local actions in addressing global challenges and shared their innovative explorations, covering a wide range of content, including urban green transformation plans, the United Nations geospatial network plan, data-driven decision-making methods for climate-adaptive urban planning, and AI-driven climate change scenario planning.
Keynote speakers
Focusing on Grassroots Initiatives
Chinese Experts Share Experiences from " Better Houses to Better Urban Areas "
On November 5, 2024, at 9:00 AM local time in Egypt, the side event "From Better Houses to Better Urban Areas, Building a Sustainable Future for All: Successful Experience Sharing from the World " was successfully held in the "City Voices" meeting room at the Egypt International Convention Center. The event was co-organized by the Fuzhou Municipal Government, the Science and Technology Center for Urban and Rural Development under the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Chinese Urban Planning Society, and China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The event aimed to share experiences and strategies for sustainable development from global cities, attracting over a hundred participants, including urban planners, policymakers, and industry experts from around the world.
Liang Hao
The event was chaired by Liang Hao, Chief of the Green Building Development Office at the Science and Technology and Industrialization Development Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Yang Rong, Head of the Regional Program Office of UN-Habitat and Coordinator for China Affairs, and Zheng Hong, Vice Mayor of the Fuzhou Municipal Government, gave opening remarks. Shi Nan, Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Vice President of CUPS, delivered a keynote speech introducing the "Chinese Solution for Measuring Urban Sustainable Development: Park City Index." Pietro Elisei, Former President of ISOCARP, also gave a keynote speech discussing community-led innovative solutions to housing issues. Zhu Xiuxiang, Director of the Yantai Standing Committee of the People's Congress, shared a report on "Building High-Quality Cities to Enhance Urban Vitality," emphasizing the importance of urban quality for urban development. Wang Zhi, General Manager of China State Construction Engineering Corporation's Egypt Branch, introduced the Central Business District project of the new administrative capital of Egypt, showcasing the practice of international cooperation in urban development. Zhao Shengbo, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Architecture, Southeast University, shared experiences from "Fuzhou's sustainable urban development and their relevance to emerging node cities in Africa, " providing insights for the sustainable development of African cities.
Experts from China at the side event
Edited by Jiangyu Chen with reference to
<https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GDAA7Lmbu61kqJ8voD6tzg>
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